Happy Thanksgiving! This week we’re having a special Thanskgiving service on Wednesday starting at 4 pm, followed by a pie social. So, no Wednesday Bible Study this week. Otherwise, the schedule continues as usual. Welcome to church!
Message: What is Truth? It Aint What ya Think
You know? Sometimes, I can’t help but reflect on how blessed our lives are right now at this moment in time. And that statement for some might seem like a piece of non-reality based on just how utterly mangled, dark, malevolent, and base, how bad, tortured and strained our society appears to be in this moment in time. But then again, a whole lot in life we are led to believe is true is alluded, polluted, and dead, so today, I thought I would give a stab at what I have determined to be true, based on what I have found to be the opposite.
Sometimes in the course of this walk of ours in life, it’s good to sit down and go over the things you have discovered that is not working for you in life. Ideally you will also list some things you have discovered to be true, at least in the moment that you can list as well.
Of course, a lot of what I have come to terms with in the world, needs to be filtered by you for your own discernment. My hope is when we get to the things of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we will be standing on the bedrock of scripture where your filters will be anchored in His Word.
Per usual, my abbreviated short list, as it must be to finish by sunset, is a personal appraisal of things and what works for me today, so feel free to use whatever you like as you build your on assessment of what aint true.
- Disco is not country or rock, thanks be to…
- The original Beatles will not have a reunion on this side of the veil. What is required for that is health, mobility, and cognition, to take place, and it aint!
- Elvis is not alive, bagging groceries at the Fresh Market, and asking if you want paper or plastic.
Now that the music category has been acknowledged… shall we move into the metaphysical?
- Science and Physics does not disprove God, His creation of all you see, or His divine Plan going forward. And like Albert Einstein;
- The more you learn the more your knowledge can confirm God.
- His elegance which is everywhere is not man-mad, and at best only God inspired when made by man.
- A hard myth busted for me was the fact that my dad was not God.
- And perhaps the hardest reconning was his passing a year ago.
- With maturity, I now thank the real God for my dad’s presence in this life, and what I have learned from him.
- In my dad’s imperfection, I have learned more of the perfection of God.
- People are not born good or bad, but our labels on them from birth only serve to create more work and workarounds on God’s part.
- To overcome the barriers, we create in life.
- You are not born with a label, you and God are creating the you in life, if you will listen to Him, share with Him, walk with Him.
- You are not trapped by God into living in toxic relationships. You can pick you family (I choose you), and then thrive as a person, if you liberate your thinking, and let God drive for a while.
General falsehoods that I have discovered in the world at large are thus;
- Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents, progressive, regressive, conservative, and liberal politicians will fail you, so cut to the chase and think for yourself with God as your anchor.
- Then find a way to forgive the people you placed on the pedestals of life for being human!
- Anyone telling you that they can make it a perfect world and do it without the Lord’s guidance, blessing, and help… are deluding themselves and you, and fit in that forgiveness category.
- Another myth discovered… You are not owed:
- A Job
- a living wage without working hard, with two jobs if what is needed…
- Free anything, to include
- WyFy
- Education
- Stuff in general
- Oh and another myth busted, nothing is free
- All the stuff that we are getting free right now, aint!
- It will be paid by us with interest, and loaded upon our children’s children.
- One truth from scripture I have here, the sins of the father will be visited on the children; us and ours…
- All the stuff that we are getting free right now, aint!
I could go on all day, cuz I thought about it all night long last Tuesday into Wednesday morning and beyond. Suffice to say, this crude rant of a start, can be used by you if you want to work on a list of things you have come to terms with.
I hope if you indeed do write a list of your discoveries, that you save it for future reflection. It will show you in the future, where you were in your past. My hope that for the things worldly, the list continues to grow as you grow as a person, and the discoveries about the Lord will continue to be confirmed by an ever growing Christian,… you!
Now for a disclaimer on anything I might have said to this point. Regardless of if you are being fed the truth, disinformation, wishful thinking, or happy puppy talk, your ability to discern is greatly reduced when going it alone. Even in the group think of the moment it’s easy to be misinformed into a herd mentality.
Just look back on your own past when you might have made better conclusions if you had taken the emotion out of the decision and listened to others you should have trusted. These are known as lessons learned. It feels better than saying out and out screw-ups, because a lesson learned implies that you are growing from missing the mark.
Keep in mind, the truth can be right in my face and if I am filtering out all of the Lord’s promptings and not available to Him in the Spirit… I’m blind, deaf, and insensible to his voice and majesty. That’s when we don’t even know Our Shepherds voice. Reminding me of Today’s Call to Worship reading where not only Pilot, but the children of Israel, God’s own family don’t know the truth when it’s before their eyes. Reading again from John 18:28-40;
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
Well, if Pilot is looking for the truth, and one wonders if he even cares what the truth is, he won’t find it in the mob, or leaders fueled by the mob. As a side note; you rarely ever find wisdom in a mob, and last year’s bedlam was no exception. The first key would be the disregard for other people, as witnessed by all the cameras documenting the angst of the moment.
In much the same way as the riots of 2020 in America, the mob in Jerusalem in 0033, was so worked up that the people were willing to let go of anything they knew to be right or wrong, for instant gratification of the moment. This is not me taking a political stand, this is plain exposition of what happens when people, anyone, are willing to lose themselves into the crowd of oblivion, and turn their free will over to others, instead of maintaining accountability with the one who created all.
Life becomes so much more enriched, your decisions made with more maturity and understanding, and there are less clean-ups on isle 9, when we are in a real relationship with our Lord, and His family. Not surrendering your free choice, but exercising free will, free choice, and freedom from the junk that has been addicting you from birth. In essence, keeping a sense of yourself when everyone else is losing their way.
So right about now many might be thinking, ok, I’ve heard a lot about all the fake stuff that’s out there that we are constantly being fed. But what can I believe in? As Pilot stated; “What is Truth?” Why are we deceived time after time into a pattern of sin, no satisfaction, and on the conveyer belt production of despair that our society of Western Civilization seems to be offering these days.
Because our faith has been deluded by an ongoing assault of selfishness, laziness, and mistruths. When confronted on all sides by the trappings of decadence, just where should we be turning our focus for direction too? Let’s start with something very basic. Our Lord instructed the people of Israel two thousand years ago when people were being led around by the glitz of the moment what truth is. Reading from John 8:31-34;
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
The cheater isn’t a gossip, and the enmeshed addicted enslaved judger and gossip says, at least I don’t smoke. The smoker says at least I don’t drink. The Alcoholic says hey I don’t drink during the week, before 10, and I don’t do drugs. And on and on it goes, says the Lord of the dance, of slaves.
And the truth shall set you free! Reminding us of today’s Message reading from John14:1-7
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Next week, we will begin our journey together as a family through the season of Advent, as we make our way towards the big event of Christmas and Epiphany. That big idea of a discovery, realizing that God loves us so much, that Heaven would come down and be in relationship with mankind. As polluted, mislead, and apathetic as we people can be, the truth is God loves you that much! And the truth shall set you free!
So; What is Truth? Well. It Aint What ya Think. At least at first glance with our worldly eyes. But with a relationship in and with our Lord, the truth makes its way into our consciousness little by little, a life time of walking falling, getting back up and trying again.
Here is some truth for you today; You are loved by a God that can make all of the sadness in your heart better by teaching your sole about grace, and then giving you people to share that grace with. And the truth shall set us free.
As you make ready for the Advent / Christmas season, my hope is that you consider the basics of truth that remain – Faith, Hope, and Love. This upcoming season from above.
Amen!